Spectacular Wildlife Photos in Dramatic Landscapes

Wildlife and landscapes shots can be great on their own. Combine the two, however, like British photographer Ben Hall has, and spectacular images emerge that make us appreciate the immense beauty of our planet.

What’s most remarkable is that none of Hall’s images have been digitally manipulated. Instead, by focusing almost exclusively on the British Isles, he developed an intimate understanding of the natural heritage and how to best visually represent it. He also pre-visualizes a particular image before setting out to photograph it. One image can take weeks or even months to capture, and Hall can often be seen returning back to the same location to make sure he gets the perfect shot.

Hall uses his photos to communicate his personal vision as well as to generate an emotional response from the viewer. What kind of emotional response does he elicit from you?Ben Hall’s website

Designer David McCandless of Information is Beautiful has created a fascinating world map called International Number Ones. “Because every country is the best at something,” McCandless also offers the caveat that this accolade is “according to data,” which makes perfect sense once you study the map. Being the number one at something isn’t necessarily a compliment. Many countries are the “best” when it comes to issues that are morally reprehensible.

We’ve all seen clouds that seemingly resemble real things, but what about a fluffy orb that just hangs in the sky? That is truly unusual. Twitter user @pmxpvrtmx (aka Poppy) recently witnessed this incredible sight and captured the spherical cloud as it hovered above houses in Fujisawa, a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. After staring at the phenomena, she “rushed to take the photo.